Sword Art Overdrive
by Chaos Revenger
Summary: After the incident of the 'death' game; the game resurfaced once more, only to hold even more dark secrets. Could Asuna and Kirito save everyone from the creeping darkness in the nick of time or would it be too much for them? Join me as I uncover the mysteries of the game and help Kirito and Asuna in their never ending conquest to save millions of lives. I welcome you to SAO!
1. Prologue

By the year 2022, technology had advanced to a point beyond belief. It all began with a brilliant scientist by the name Kayaba Akiko. His technological breakthrough in developing a device that allows humans to dive into games with all five senses. Following Kayaba's success, S.C.O.P.E further developed the 'NerveGear' into a microchip that enables users to dive into their virtual world whenever they like. This device was than named the,Overdrive Process Chip, or OPC for short. S.C.O.P.E proceeded to develop the Overdrive Unlimited Network to increase the speed and efficiency of the internet connection ever since the implantation of OPCs worldwide.

With all the success in the development of the virtual world, a revised version of the very first online virtual game made its way back to the gaming industry-Sword Art Online. As I go against other players and many challenges, I unknowingly draw myself closer to something way bigger than myself and the people around me. My name is Alex and this is my story.

Welcome to Sword Art Online!


	2. School of New Beginnings

"This is what I mean by a mistake…" The continuous rant of my (both literally and figuratively) square-headed teacher went on endlessly.

I gazed at the virtual clock at the top left hand corner of my vision as the longing for school to end rippled in my head, torturing me while I was at it.

"This question can be solved with either methods…" The teacher continued despite the never-ending buzzing of the air-conditioner that constantly disturbed the pin-drop silence that the class rarely possessed.

The clock continued to tick as the seconds went by. The whole class held their breath and so did I, but I did so for a completely different reason.

[14:14:57] _3..._

[14:14:58] _2..._

[14:14:59] _1!_

[14:15:00] *Beep* The instant the clock stroke 14:15:00, the bell that marks the end of hell sounded along with my notification tone that showed me a preview of the message I received.

It read: _NOW._

I didn't need to open the message so I just swiped it out of my vision ,to prevent it from obscuring my sight, as I make a beeline to the school field's track.

_It's time!_

The excitement that boiled in my blood only propelled me forward with more speed. As the plain grounds came into view, so did a lonesome figure I recognised very well.

"Kirito!" I called out to the dark figure.

Kirito turned and faced me with a displeased expression and arms in akimbo.

"Sorry…" I apologised with a sheepish smile while scratching the back of my head but the unwavering posture and expression he had told me that he wasn't satisfied.

At the end of my rope, I tried reasoning, "What?! At least I'm here now…" But I trailed off towards the end when I heard heavy footsteps make their way towards us.

Kirito must have noticed how my face froze with uncertainty since he made his way beside me and whispered assurance to me. I smiled a bit as I eased down. I really admired his calm and iron-clad persona; being by his side always made it seem like everything would be okay. He was like an older brother to me and taught me many things that required courage. For him, I'd do anything. Anything.

I turned to face the owner of the heavy footsteps and gawked at his appearance. The senior (presumed from his size) had a sharp nose, chin and eyes that gave him the added fiery in his glare. He wore heavy duty vest which sleeves seemed to have been ripped off over a turtle neck singlet matched with black pants and shoes despite the scorching weather and under all that cloth resided tan skin that were embraced with scars which screamed that he is a seasoned fighter.

I gulped and turned to Kirito. His unwavering stern expression calmed my nerves down by a great degree. My attention was forcibly pulled back to the senior when his voice cracked.

"You ready?" He questioned with a taunting finger as he shifted his feet to lower his center of gravity.

Despite his stance, his expression was filled with amusement. He was obviously underestimating us. My fist clenched into a hard ball as I lowered my center of gravity as well. My eyes fixed on the man as only one thought filled my mind.

_Who is this guy?_

"Let's do this." Kirito demanded with added ferocity.

As soon as he said it, the three of us commanded the OPC, "Physical Link!"

A blue circle started expanding from where we stood to wherever our vision could take it. A notification window appeared in front of our vision reading "Sword Art Online" The bar below the title of the activated program showed how much the program had analysed their location and when the bar was fully loaded, the surrounding started to be clad in digitalised codes and a virtual skin covered the surface of the background. When that was done, the title on the notification window was replaced with their virtual location's name and it read "The School of Beginnings".

I turned to Kirito as his character's skin layered over his school uniform. I was a little taken a back when I saw his character skin since he was clad in black… and nothing but black. Heck, he wasn't even wearing armour! Furthermore, instead of a shield, he carried two blades. And I could've sworn the last time I asked, he said he was in the Paladin class! I don't think anyone would've called him a knight in shining armour.

On the other hand, the senior's appearance took no different shape. I blinked twice, wondering if the game had a bug or something, but just as I did, the senior yelled,

"TAKE OVER, INFRIT!"

As soon as he did, digitalised codes layered over him too and he took the form of what I'd call a beast. I mean come on! He got a slightly hunched back, darkly tanned skin, a black horn sticking out of his forehead and not to mention a fiery of orange and red hair giving it a flamed look! It didn't take Sherlock to figure out that if he lands just one hit on you, it'll leave a mark.

"Are you Kirito?" He asked, starting a conversation.

"One names himself before asking others to do so." Kirito retorted.

"The names Jack." He introduced with a teasing bow coupled with a smirk on his face, "Now, your turn."

"Yeah. I'm Kirito."

I was left jaw dropped. I'm mean you'd think that one would deny of being a target.

"He's not-" I tried lying for him but Jack just brushed me off. Literally.

Without warning, an ignited giant metal ball made crushing contact with my ribs and I instantly took flight into the nearby goal post. And Man… That's gonna leave a mark… I looked down at my arm to find it slightly burnt by the flames that licked the ball. Groaning, I tried to pick myself up but failed miserably as my chest screamed it's protests. I clutched it in an attempt to dull the pain but when it didn't, my body started rocking as I coughed violently as though my body was trying to cough out any broken bones. My gaze slowly took focus at the scene not too far from me as Kirito made his blades dance in an attempt to flank off his attacker and I caught his side glances at me to check if I was okay. Lifting my thumb, I held out a thumbs up to signal I'm okay. With that aside, he continued to focus on the battle at hand. I slowly picked myself up once more with little success as I kept kissing the floor when it hurt too much. After trial and error, I was finally off the ground. Well, half off the ground since I was still on my knees. I looked at my HP bar to find that it was already in the yellow zone and slowly making it's way to the red zone as the burn effect stayed.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance before proceeding to take out my healing stone. As it shattered, my HP bar sped it's way back to the green zone but slowly crawled back down again as the burn effect was still there. I let out a frustrated groan. How long it this effect going to last?! Well, I guess it's better now that I no longer feel pain but… My thoughts were interrupted when that stupid giant ball whizzed it's way towards me again. And this time, I dodged.

"Haha! You missed me!" I yelled as soon as I completed my side step.

But the smirk on Jack's face only lengthened. I heard the same whizzing sound approach me and turned just in time to see it smack into Kirito's sword.

"Stop letting your guard down!" Kirito yelled above the whizzing and I think I heard Jack click his tongue.

Nodding, I quickly took out my sickle and turned to face Jack just in time to see him start laughing hysterically. What? Never seen a sickle before?

"You…" Jack stumble through his sentence as he tried to catch his breath between laughs, "think you can defeat me with… _that_?"

I frowned.

"Seriously? You're underestimating the sickle?" I questioned in disbelief.

"No, I'm underestimating the wielder." As soon as he was done, he vanished.

I was left flabbergasted as he showed up behind me instead and was ready to bash my skull in. Luckily, Kirito got my back and flanked him back and without giving Jack enough time to recover, he pressed forward and activated his trademark skill, Twin Blade Gales. Both his blades glowed in unison as they unleashed a series of deadly strikes all over Jack. I just stood there in aghast as I saw the two blades ripped him to shreds. And as though it was a feeble attempt to censor the atrocity, white light beamed from his wounds. I just stared on in awe… amazement filled me as I watched, but it slowly changed to guilt and then disappointment. No, not at Kirito. I was actually disappointed at myself. Now that I thought about it, what have I done besides be a dead weight to him? I couldn't fend for myself and couldn't help in anyway… I was just… Useless.

The skill ended with Kirito jumping to make a three-sixty without pulling back his attacks before landing right in front of Jack again and delivering a final blow into his waist with both swords.

Jack just knelt there. Eyes void of soul as he just knelt there with his mouth wide open as though trying to voice out his anguish but instead having his soul escape. After Jack shattered into oblivion, Kirito swiftly sheathed his sword and turned to me, an uncharacteristic anger in his eyes as he quickly came to my side.

"Log out." He commanded hastily before vanishing.

Doing as I was told with much haste, I logged out just in time to see Kirito grabbing fallen Jack and shaking him violently in an attempt to wake him.

"Wake up! Wake _up_!" He demanded in a fearsome tone.

Dumbfounded by the deviation in character, I quickly pulled him away from Jack before taking charge for once.

"Calm down!" I shouted.

Kirito just stared at me in shock. I know it was also uncharacteristic for me to do that but something about _this_ Kirito told me something wasn't right. Taking in a deep breath, Kirito returned to his levelled self and made his way back to Jack who was now struggling to stand. In one fluid motion, Kirito hooked his leg, sending him crashing into the ground once more.

"Damn it!" Jack groaned.

I mumbled under my breath as I recalled my helplessness, "That's my line."

"Now…" Kirito started, "Who sent you?"

Jack only nervously purse his lips. Letting out a tired sigh, Kirito signalled for me to get his bamboo sword which I only complied to readily because I knew he was just bluffing. Seeing me take the sword out, Jack started to make slapdash shifts to get away from us but failed to do so when Kirito stepped on his sleeve to stop him from his squirming. As I handed the sword to Kirito, my heart started thumping faster. If he doesn't talk soon, he'd realise that it was all just a bluff, and the last thing I want is for Kirito to turn it into a reality. Just as Kirito started raising his arm, Jack broke down.

"It's our Commander! That person demanded for us to get you!"

I scoffed, "Oh yeah sure. As if we know who your commander is!"

I turned to Kirito to suggest we get more information from the guy but he just eased up on his step and let him go. As Jack made his dash to safety, I turned between the two of them, unsure of who to yell at. When Jack was out of sight, I decided to settle with Kirito.

"What the hell?!"

Kirito who seemed to have had been lost in his own thoughts snapped from his stupor.

"What? Oh. Well, we got all that we needed."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

I was really starting to get annoyed and Kirito's change of character. _This_ him was too… unstable. And I didn't like it at all.

"Yes. Really." Kirito assured with a tinge of annoyance in his tone.

Normally I wouldn't question Kirito, but I couldn't help but to do so with him being so… messed up!

"Oh, so you know who his commander is?!"

This time, Kirito glared at me, completely shutting me up.

"Yes." Was his final answer.

Grabbing his bags, he left. Leaving me to my own thoughts. I wanted to remind him of what we originally met up for, but he did seem to be in the mood for it so I decided to just pester him tomorrow… if he feels better.


	3. Alatrious Commander

Yesterday's events remained crisp in my head. I laid dazed on my bed as the feeling of pressure and anticipation slowly crushed me.

"*強く に な ぇ" I commanded myself. The phrase had been my motivation for a while now but the lack of change irritated me.

*_'強く に な ぇ__' means 'be strong'_

The day after the fight, Kirito and I had went jungling in a forest to gain more EXP. I had reminded Kirito about our initial purpose of the day before; to find a way for me to get stronger. To which he scratched his cheeks in embarrassment for forgetting. When he was done, he told me about the Encrypted Crystals.

_"Encrypted Crystals?" I parroted after him._

_"Yes, E.C for short. It's a form of energy to upgrade you weapons stats."_

_"Like how well I can wield it?"_

_"Ha ha, no. How well you wield your weapon will forever be up to your own skills." As he said it, he drew out his black blade and started swinging it around with obvious skill, leaving me awed before proceeding to sheath it, "And that's what I love about this game." He continued, smiling at me as he did._

_"Okay, then what exactly __**do**__ the Crystals do?" I asked, slightly curious now._

_Returning to a serious note, he explained, "They basically increase the number of weapons you can make, durability of the weapons, reduce the time required to repair and maintain and makes it easier to upgrade."_

_Raising impressed brows, I nodded, "Okay. Tell me how to make it."_

_Kirito shook his head with a light laugh before answering, "Yeah… this part… you're not gonna like."_

_This time, I raised only one brow to challenge him with my will, "Hit me."_

_Sighing in defeat, he settled down on the ground and I followed suit, "They are made by inserting balanced encrypted numbers into your desktop through the game engine to form chains which, when enough chains are accumulated, will be processed and transferred into the game in the form of those crystals."_

_Nodding understandingly, I agreed, "Sounds easy enough."_

_But just as I was about to get up and leave, he stopped me, "Easy brother, I'm not done."_

_Frowning, I settled back down on the ground._

_"The thing is, that's not it. Those things get stronger with every added chain."_

_"Isn't that a good thing?" I interrupted._

_"Wait." Kirito stopped me with slight annoyance in his tone and a glare to shut me up before continuing, "but so will the rebound."_

_I froze for a second. Rebound? What rebound? That word had never bolt well for anyone._

_When Kirito did not continue, I pressed, "What rebound?"_

_"Basically, it'd explode. And all it takes is one unbalanced chain to set it off." Just as he said it, his face winced in pain, before commenting from personal experience, "Not fun."_

_Seriously? If it's so difficult for the Kirito to make, how can I do it?! I swallowed hard as doubt entered my mind. Noticing this, Kirito's expression sunk into disappointment._

_"Having second thoughts?"_

_Words were caught in my throat. I'm always saying that "I want to be strong" and "I have to get stronger", but when it comes down to it, I never take that necessary step to get there. It's frustrating! Just as I was about to force words out of my mouth, an image of Kirito sitting in front of his computer retyping codes again and again but still having those crystals imploding in his face came into my mind and a sudden determination filled me up._

_"I'll do it." I said._

_Kirito looked into my eyes as he searched for what I suppose is will. When he found what he wanted, he let out a satisfied smile._

_"I feel like a mother who just saw her daughter accomplish her first errand." He faked a tear as he teased me._

_Annoyed, I played along, "Why are you using female examples?!"_

_After a moment of laughter, Kirito and I got up to leave when he notified me of some really painful reality, "By the way, it takes about a few hundred chains to form about just one small fragment."_

_I was literally knocked off my feet as my legs turned to jelly and I went crashing back on the ground._

_This time with amusement, Kirito asked, "Having second thoughts?"_

_I hate it when he does that! Groaning, I lied, "No! Never!"_

Returning to the present, I winced as streaks of golden light invaded my eyes. Dang. I wasted too much time and now, it was evening. I had planned to complete at least a fragment by today. Now, I think I can only manage a few chains. Kirito had recommended a place that had good information on how to make proper chains.

_"The Alchemist Forest?" I asked inquisitively._

_"Yes. It's on the outskirts of the Alchemist Town and in that forest lies someone who'd be able to help you with the chains." Before turning to cross the road, Kirito became hesitant._

_"Try not to die." He finally managed before making a dash for the green man._

"Die huh?" I mouthed as I got off my bed and turned my air conditioner on. The rapid cooling of the room calmed my nerves as I settled back down on the bed before commanding,

"Digital Link."

As soon as I said it, I fell into a hole that opened under me. As I dropped, three neon blue rings encompassed me and layered digitalised clothes over me. Blue shirt, dark brown pants and leather boots and gloves topped with a brown apron. Just the way I like it.

My fall ended on a landing pad in the middle of a brightly lit village filled with mushroom shaped houses. A welcome notification flashed in front of me stating, "Welcome to Alchemist Town". I opened my map to mark my destination at the entrance of Alchemist Forest before making my way there with the aid of the G.P.S. As I squeezed through the crowds, laughter and haggling filled my ears. Seriously, why can't the real world be like this too? I tried to continuing without getting distracted, but my favourite scent strayed into my nose; Honey baked bread. Gosh, that made me drool, but I really should be getting to the forest, the moon is already casting over the town. As heartbreaking as it was, I pressed on.

When I finally reached the border of the forest, a familiar face entered my vision.

"Kirito!" I exclaimed in disbelief, "What are you doing here?!"

Scratching his cheek shyly, he took out something that nearly made my heart stop.

"HONEY BAKED BREAD!"I exclaimed with dumb delight.

Swiftly snatching it over, I said my gratitude between bites off the bread. Oh man, I was in heaven. The way the sweetness blends with the crispy outer crust and the way the fluffy insides melt, paradise. Smiling a bit, Kirito let out a sigh of resign. He always felt that I was too easily pleased and although I can't deny it, I didn't plan to change that. When I was done, we started into the moon lit forest, not as inviting, but doable. We crossed the forest stealthily, avoiding combat as much as possible to save as much time as we could. However, we eventually reached a certain zone on the map that was highlighted red. That was foreign to me but if there's one thing I know, red is never a good sign in games.

"Stop." Kirito instructed with a hushed tone.

Warily, I did what I was told and quietly placed my foot on the leaf-littered ground, heightening my hearing as I did. Soon, I could hear four hooves stomping on the ground like a deer from a distance and Kirito signalled for me to duck which I did as I was told like a good dog.

When the stomping passed, I asked, "Who or _what_ was that?"

"Mystical creatures."

"Yeah… remind me again if the elves and orgers we fought back there aren't mystical creatures." I replied sarcastically.

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Kirito added, "Very, crazy powerful mystical creatures."

My eyes widened a bit and my lips straightened in a tight line, "Define 'Very crazy powerful'."

Kirito let out a smirk showing that he is quite entertained by my reaction.

"Crazy powerful is the usual multiple health bars, high attack powers and depending on the type, super attributes."

I groaned. Why can't I just go through one quest with no conflict? Guess that's asking for too much.

Gathering my breath, I realised he still hasn't answered one thing, "Okay, and what about the 'very'?"

This time, Kirito's looks faltered as he seemed a little worried to tell me.

"Go on, tell me." I probed.

Sighing, he continued, "If you die in any red zone, well, the cost is quite high…"

"How high are we talking about?" I was starting to feel uneasy.

Scratching his cheeks, he explained, "Like -being unable to enter the zone for a period of time, loosing half the amount of the gold you have, three items from your inventory at random and your memory of the battle- kind of high."

The harsh fact made me take a step back. Gosh, that _is_ a lot. Wait, did he say memory?

"Wait wait wait wait, erase our memory? For what?!"

"So that you can't stack your knowledge on the creature." Kirito must've noticed my unease as he tried to assure me,"Don't worry, different zones may be dominated by different creatures, but they only appear to high level players."

I raised a questioning brow and asked, "Then what was that just now? Didn't sound like ogers to me."

Kirito shut up. I guess he didn't know how to explain that.

"Forget it. Let's just get on with it." I said, letting him off the hook. Besides, it was really getting late and I didn't like nor want to put him in a spot.

We threaded with extra caution this time, making sure to be as silent as possible until an odd feeling creeped onto my back. This feeling… don't tell me? I shot Kirito a look to signal that we were being followed and his facial expression told me he already knew what was happening. Okay, those guys are barely even making any sound so they are probably equipped with lightly padded armour and gear. Their weapons are probably small and swift to make sure their speed makes up for their lack of defence and who knows, maybe they even have bowmen too as added insurance…

But really, who the hell _are_ these people? Is it Jack again? The commander he spoke about? Would we be able to defeat them? What if their numbers are too great? Oh hell. What on Earth do they want with us?!

With so much insecurity swarming in my head, instinct took over reason and I felt a sudden surge of adrenaline pumping through my veins as I took out my sickle that had been attached to a metal ball as a counter weight and sent it zipping through the air. When I felt it sink into something, a grin inevitably crept up my face. Yanking the chain, a body flew out of the bushes with the sickle still caught in his neck. His eyes bore into mine, showing shock and horror as he shattered away.

I looked to Kirito to find sheer incredulity on his face. It soon changed to disapproval but he still withdrew his swords; the black one in his right hand and turquoise in his left. In return, I shrugged sheepishly in embarrassment before getting into my battle stance.

After a few seconds of deafening silence, his comrades made their appearance, shadowing us with their overpowering numbers. But what really surprised me was not their numbers but how I was not scared but rather… excited. I started spinning my sickle with my chain to build up some momentum before selecting the unlucky one to receive it and that was when I caught sight of three men standing not too far from each other in one column. However, before I could send my sickle flying once more, a female knight walked up to us. She was wearing lightly padded white armour decorated with red ribbons and it didn't take me long enough to realise that was a custom dress code for their group since they were all dressed similarly. She was also wearing heeled boots to raise her speed stats and I'm guessing that's why she uses a rapier too… Before I could finish my analysis, she spoke, changing my attention to her brown eyes.

"I never though that the Beater of this game would've taken in an apprentice." She commented, eyebrows twitching for who-knows-what reason.

"And to think you'll take in such a PATHETIC," _Ouch. That hurt_.

"LOW-LIFE," _She's doing it on purpose isn't she?_

"MORALLY UNRIGHT," _Huh? Okay, she just lost me._

"PERVERT!" SAY WHAT?! I couldn't help but choke on my own saliva as she screamed that.

"What have I ever done to sexually harass you?!" I hacked out just in time to have her send me crashing to the ground.

I when I tried to sit up, something cold touched my neck and restricted me from doing so. I opened my eyes to find the girl already hovering over me with her rapier at point blank range. The fiery in her chocolate brown eyes told me she clearly believes that she is right and is not about take in any reason. I looked at my health bar to find it just enter the yellow zone and turned to Kirito with desperate eyes, hoping that he would save me. Sighing, Kirito turned to the girl.

"Asuna. Cut the boy some slack. He was just studying your dress code."

The girl, Asuna,'s eyes never left mine nor did her anger dissipate, instead, it seemed to have burned brighter.

"For what?!" She screamed at me and I honestly didn't think that saying 'For combat' would really help here so I just gulped.

Kirito sighed and walked closer but a man came between him and us, poking a dagger lightly on his chest. Things seemed to have intensified as Kirito and that man entered a staring contest. I slowly felt around my pocket for anything useful and then I recalled I had something that could flank them off. In that instance, a whole plan formulated in my head and I decided to take the wheel from here.

"Okay." I caught everyones attention and turned to Asuna, "Look, I'm sorry for any misunderstanding, but I was just trying to prepare for combat so I was… observing your armour…"

Instantly, her eyes changed from anger to wary and she used her blade to prop my chin up.

"Really? Then maybe I should cut your head off here to get this over with."

I bit my lips as I raised both of my hands slowly.

"Easy now… maybe we could work something out?" I tried negotiating.

When her glare didn't ease, I opened both my hands and two smoke pallets fell to the ground, sending everyone into a frenzy. When Asuna was distracted by the smoke, I quickly swiped her legs, making her fall to the ground. I instantly picked myself to a crouch since arrows were being shot everywhere at random in the hopes of pinning us to the ground. After I collected my bearings, I sent my sickle soaring to where the three people were, hoping to at least catch one of them, and when I did, I dragged him along to strike whoever that was left next to him. Once I was done with that, I activated my see-through skill to find Kirito using the opportunity to take out those who were caught off guard. I would like to say that I loved the way his swords danced, but I couldn't even see it since it was all too quick.

After the smoke screen dispelled, I realised that all that were left was Asuna and three others. Of the three, one of them was the victim to my blade and he soon shattered away. Asuna's expression told me that she was furious at this point and that totally did not inspire confidence in me. While keeping her eyes on me, she directed her speech to the two remaining men who were slightly bruised for having the man I stabbed slam into them.

"Get away from here. Both of you. Find a healer."

The two of them started staggering away but I was not about to let that happen. I sent my sickle flying for them once more but it was deflected into the air as Asuna hit it away with one swift swipe of her rapier. As I stood there awestruck, I heard Kirito yell from behind me.

"BACK OUT NOW ALEX!"

I turned just in time to see Kirito's panic-stricken face as something flashed before me.


End file.
